Extended drought can cause real damage to your basement.

When the soil around a basement dries out, it shrinks and contracts, which can make your basement foundation shift. That shifting can create cracks in your basement.
While you may not notice anything right away, once you have a period of heavy rainfall, that moisture can start to seep into your basement.

This can also create problems at your window wells. A crack in the basement wall behind the window well can allow moisture to seep into the window well. If your window well does not have a sump pump installed, it's possible for water to build up inside your window well, and eventually leak through your basement window.

Fortunately, there are two things you can do to protect your basement.

The first thing is prevention. Consider laying a soaker hose around the perimeter of your home and consistently watering around the foundation of your home for several hours every day. This will help to replenish the moisture in the soil around your home, and reduce the likelihood of cracking and shifting in your basement.

Important: Place the soaker hose 4-6 ft away from your house to avoid sending water straight down between the basement wall and the soil around your home.

The second thing is preparation. In each of our egress window wells we install a sump pump bucket into the “floor” of your window well. All you need to do is install a sump pump into that bucket, which acts as a collection reservoir for any moisture that enters your window well. That way, if water enters your window well for any reason, it is pumped out before it causes any problems.

For our existing customers, we are currently offering to install a sump pump into your Illumicast egress window well. This is a complementary service–you only need to pay for the sump pump itself ($200), and the cost to run electricity to the pump.

To request a sump pump installation, or for any questions about irrigating your foundation, contact us at 620-200-0616.